The LegalRideshare Podcast LegalRideshare

Dara's plea to Japan, drivers with guns, and lack of flexibility. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
DARA WANTS JAPAN TO ALLOW INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS



Dara has an ask for Japan: let drivers work as independent contractors. Kyodo News reported:

Uber Technologies Inc.'s top executive urged Japan to allow rideshare drivers to work independently, rather than obliging them to work under taxi companies, under a scheme meant to address labor shortages in the local industry.
“There would be a lot more people willing to become rideshare drivers if they could work flexibly as independent contractors,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said at a press conference in Tokyo, adding that the Japanese version of ride-sharing has been slow to take off since a ban on such services was only partially lifted in April.
Under the current system, which was introduced to address a nationwide shortage of taxi drivers, taxi firms can employ and manage standard license holders to offer rideshare services with their private vehicles under certain conditions.
Amid persistent safety concerns, Khosrowshahi said that safety is a priority while stressing that it is one of the top reasons customers in other markets choose Uber due to its incorporation of technology features and partnerships.

UBER BUT WITH GUNS



A new rideshare service comes with armed drivers. Axios reported:

Black Wolf, a gun-toting, TikTok famous rideshare service, recently expanded to Miami with a fleet of armed drivers from police, military and security backgrounds.
Zoom in: Founder Kerry KingBrown — a private security guard and University of Miami alumnus — launched the company in Atlanta in 2023 and now has 25 drivers across Miami, Fort Lauderdale and other Florida cities.
How it works: Riders can request an armed or unarmed driver.
The drivers must have at least four years of policing, military or private security experience, KingBrown says.
Front-facing cameras in the car record live video of the trip.

REVEL LAYS OFF 1000 DRIVERS



Revel is laying off 1000 staff rideshare drivers and moving to Uber's model. TechCrunch reported:

After dropping the moped-sharing business in 2023, Revel is pivoting once again to abandon one of the main things that made its ride-hail service unique: The startup is laying off its 1,000+ drivers and embracing a gig worker model similar to that of rivals Lyft and Uber.
The move comes after Revel successfully piloted the model in late February with 100 Revel drivers and has since brought on 100 more.
“The reason we ran this pilot in the first place was just increasing feedback from our driver pool, as well as in our recruitment efforts,” Haley Rubinson, vice president of corporate affairs at Revel, told TechCrunch. “The leading reason people didn't want to join Revel was the lack of flexibility.”








LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, gig workers, delivery and e-scooter accidents and injuries. Consultations are always free.

Prop 22 is on the line, Uber decides to stay, and drivers see through the pricing. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
PROP 22'S FINAL TEST



The fight against Prop 22 has hit its final test. SF Gate reported:

On Tuesday, California's Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding the constitutionality of the 2020 law that classifies Uber and Lyft drivers as independent contractors rather than full-fledged employees. In a courtroom in San Francisco's Earl Warren Building, the justices listened to and questioned three lawyers — one representing drivers, one representing a coalition of gig companies and another representing the state of California.
Hector Castellanos watched it all from the middle of the courtroom. The Antioch driver is the lead plaintiff for this yearslong bid to overturn Prop. 22, and his litigation is now finally reaching an end. Wearing a tired but hopeful expression and a “Gig Workers Rising” shirt, Castellanos spoke with SFGATE on the front steps of the building after the arguments.
“The drivers, we are suffering,” he said, arguing that Uber and Lyft lied to the public about how the initiative would affect gig workers. Drivers for gig companies don't have adequate sick days, pay or workers' compensation benefits, he said.

UBER STAYS IN MINNESOTA



After a new deal was reached, Uber decided to stay in Minnesota. Yahoo! Finance reported:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has said he will sign into law a bill that ends the threat of Uber and Lyft leaving the Twin Cities area and sets statewide compensation rates for ride-hailing services.
In Minnesota, Walz announced a deal with lawmakers over the weekend that he said would give drivers statewide a 20% raise from current compensation levels, which are not set by law.
According to the analysis, the per-mile rate under the city ordinance would have been set at $1.40 plus a 51-cents-per-minute charge. The analysis said hourly take-home pay after expenses and taxes would have been $28.35, with pre-expense earnings at $43.73.
The news service said the final agreement in the state law calls for minimum compensation of $1.28 per mile and 31 cents per minute, yielding pre-expense average compensation of $34.58 an hour and post-expense compensation of $19.89 an hour.

UBER SURGE IS ALL THE TIME



Driver's in London are claiming Uber's surge pricing never ends. 9to5 Mac reported:

But drivers protesting outside Uber's London headquarters claim that so-called “dynamic pricing” is now in effect 24/7.
Additionally, they told Wired that where Uber used to take a fixed and transparent 25% commission on the amount paid by riders, with drivers receiving the balance, the company now sometimes takes much higher percentages — and doesn't allow them to see the split.
To prove the point, they have been logging in as riders to request rides, seeing how much they are quoted, and then how much the driver is offered. In one example, the rider was quoted £46 ($58) while the driver was only offered £26 ($33). That meant Uber was taking a 43% commission.








LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, gig workers, delivery and e-scooter accidents and injuries. Consultations are always free.

Gig work is up, Uber gets out, and losses pile on. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
GIG WORKERS ON THE RISE



As high-paying jobs are harder to find, workers are turning to rideshare. Business Insider reported:

The share of Bank of America customers receiving income from ride-hailing nearly tripled from less than 0.4% in March 2020 to about 1.2% as of March, exceeding pre-pandemic levels, according to a Bank of America Institute report that analyzed internal company data and was published in late April.
BofA also found that many more Americans are going “all in” on gig work. The share of gig workers who received gig income every month of the year increased from about 3% in the 12 months preceding February 2023 to 4% in the 12 months preceding February 2024 — much of this growth came from ride-hailing. Since 2022, it's become increasingly common for gig workers not to have a traditional job, compared to those who do it as a side hustle, BofA found.
Some Americans may be turning to gig work like ride-hailing because they've struggled to boost their income. Job growth is slowing, job openings have fallen from record levels, and April data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday suggests it's getting more difficult to find higher-wage employment.

UBER/LYFT LEAVE MINNESOTA ENTIRELY
Uber's threats have turned into a promise. FOX9 reported:

After Minnesota state legislators and Minneapolis council members announced a compromise on wage legislation for Uber and Lyft drivers, the ride-hailing companies are now threatening to leave Minnesota entirely.
Previously, Lyft had only threatened to leave Minneapolis, once the pay raise ordinance went into effect, but had planned to continue service in the rest of the metro and state. Uber had said it would leave Minneapolis and potentially the entire metro because of the ordinance.
Rep. Jamie Long (DFL-Minneapolis) says the newly agreed-upon rates match rates in other states and are below rates in Washington state — where both Uber and Lyft still operate.
When asked, Rep. Long said he believes Lyft's threats are a bluff by the company to negotiate a better deal.

UBER LOSES $646 MILLION



Uber starts 2024 with a crash. The Verge explains:

In 2023, Uber achieved an important milestone, earning more money than it spent for a full year for the first time. It was widely seen as a sign that the perennially cash-strapped business was finally on a more sustainable path.
Today, there are signs that the journey may be longer than we thought.
The ridehailing and delivery company reported a surprise net loss of $654 million for the first quarter of the year, as legal settlements and equity investments proved to be more of a drag on Uber's business than many expected.
So why the loss? In short, legal settlements, stock holdings in other companies, and fewer rides in key markets like Latin America. All of these factors have the appearance of being unrelated to Uber's business of delivering people and goods — but they are also extremely reflective of the company's core business model.
It's no secret that Uber classifies its drivers as independent contractors as a way to reduce labor costs and position itself as simply an app that connects customers to enterprising freelancers who work for multiple ridehailing and delivery companies. And yet, for years, the company has fought against attempts by local legislatures and courts to reclassify its drivers as employees and pay them better.
The company has spent tens of billions of dollars to oppose these efforts, and while it occasionally wins, it doesn't seem to be any closer to putting the issue to rest.








LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, gig workers, delivery and e-scooter accidents and injuries. Consultations are always free.

$44 million awarded, riders get checked, and robotaxis get confused. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
$44 MILLION LAWSUIT



The family of a murdered Lyft driver has been rewarded $44 million. Chicago Sun Times reported:

Kristian Philpotts, 29, accepted a request for a ride in Urbana on Jan. 12, 2022. During the ride, Philpotts was shot by the passenger, Tyjohn Williams of Champaign, according to criminal charges.
Williams, now 18, is accused of requesting the ride using his mother's account. He allegedly got inside the vehicle with two other people, pulled out a gun and shot Philpotts in the back. Philpotts died shortly after.
Champaign County Circuit Court Judge Benjamin W. Dyer awarded the family $44,724,193 at a hearing on damages Friday. The family now will seek to collect on that award from Williams and his mother.
“Criminals must be held accountable when they destroy lives, families and communities,” said attorney Bryant Greening, of LegalRideshare LLC. “KP and his family suffered an unimaginable loss. While this award does not bring KP back, it does serve as a source of justice.”

RIDER VERIFCATION HITS CHICAGO
Riders will now be “verified” in 12 cities, including Chicago. ABC 7 Chicago reported:

Riders will now be “verified” to make sure they are who they claim to be. Uber said this is in response to security and safety concerns that drivers have in Chicago and other cities.
Uber says most people will automatically get verified without doing a thing. Uber will cross reference personal information that they already have in your account, no ID required. That completes the verification process for the vast majority of people.
The verification process is a pilot program. It will not perform criminal background checks on riders.

WAYMO TAXIS BLOCK TRAFFIC



Traffic cones caused confusion for robotaxis. TechCrunch reported:

Six Waymo robotaxis blocked traffic moving onto the Potrero Avenue 101 on-ramp in San Francisco on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m., according to video of the incident posted to Reddit and confirmation from Waymo.
After hitting the road closure, the first Waymo vehicle in the lineup then pulled over out of the traffic lane that was blocked by cones, followed by six other Waymo robotaxis. Human-driven cars were then stuck behind some of the robotaxis; a video posted online shows fed-up drivers getting out of their cars to physically move the cones out of the way so they could pass both the road closure and the stalled Waymos.
It's not the first time Waymo vehicles have caused a road blockage, but this is the first documented incident involving a freeway.








LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, gig workers, delivery and e-scooter accidents and injuries. Consultations are always free.

High pay myths, AV food delivery and the future of rideshare. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
PAYING DRIVERS MORE =/= HIGHER FARES
Uber's classic threat has turned out to be false. Truthout.org reported:

Our team analyzed over a billion rideshare trips, comparing four years of data in Chicago and New York. These are two of the biggest rideshare markets in the U.S.
If Uber's argument was true, fares should have gone up more in New York after the pay standard took effect. In fact, the opposite happened. Over the four years we studied, Uber and Lyft raised fares by 54% in Chicago, where drivers have no pay protections. In New York, they only increased fares by 36%. The reality just doesn't match Uber's scare tactics.

UBER EATS GOES AV
Food delivery in Phoenix gets a lot more automated. Fast Company reported:

Uber Eats will start delivering some orders in the Phoenix area via Waymo's autonomous vehicles on Wednesday, expanding on a multiyear partnership that already includes the self-driving cars shepherding passengers around town.
Customers who have their food delivered by a Waymo will receive an in-app notification to take their phone outside to unlock the vehicle and pick up the items ordered. Users, who place an order where autonomous delivery is available, will be able to opt out of the tech at checkout if they prefer to have a courier deliver their food.

MINNEAPOLIS AFTER UBER
What does Minneapolis look like after Uber leaves? MPR news reported:

Uber and Lyft have promised to end service in Minneapolis on May 1 because of a dispute with the city over driver pay. The situation leaves drivers with uncertainty over how to make a living and what comes next.
One of those drivers is Farhan Badel, who has been driving for Uber and Lyft in Minneapolis since 2018.
His work for Uber and Lyft helps him support his three children and wife and has allowed him the freedom to be able to choose his hours to better juggle life and work.
If Uber and Lyft leave Minneapolis within weeks, Badel and other drivers may explore roads less traveled — driving for startup rideshare apps.
At his home office in Woodbury, Murid Amini has been working around the clock since early March developing MOOV, a rideshare app which he says has around 900 users signed up so far — around 600 are drivers.
Other rideshare companies are also looking for ways to fill the possible void, including HICH and The Drivers Cooperative, a driver-owned organization in New York, interested in signing up Minnesota drivers.








LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, gig workers, delivery and e-scooter accidents and injuries. Consultations are always free.

We chat with LegalRideshare's co-founder & lead attorney Bryant Greening about accidents and deactivations caused by accidents.